Turning Boiling or Hot Water into Snow at -13°F (-25°C) [Video]

It’s really cold outside today here on the south shore of Montreal (QC, CA). Really, really cold. The temperature outside currently is at -13°F (-25°C), but when you add in the wind chill factor, it feels more like -29°F (-33°C). Since it rarely gets this cold, I decided to use the opportunity to show my kids what happens when you throw really hot (boiling) water in the air at this temperature. You can check out the video of the experiment below (and put it in HD and full screen mode to observe the effect more closely.)

Warning: Be REALLY careful when you throw that water, you could get burned if it falls on you.

It’s an easy experiment to accomplish. Just boil water on the stove or in a coffee cup in the microwave, go outside, and throw the water in the air.

Oh, and for those who are wondering why you need to use hot water, well, hot water evaporates more quickly than cold water since it’s already closer to the point of evaporation, so when it hits cold air in the form of tiny droplets of liquid, it just turns into snow and water vapor.

Just seeing the look of wonder on my kids’ faces was all I needed to justify going outside today.